Full Capacity Utilization in Design of Hydrokinetic Turbines and other Renewable energies for Power Generation in Nigeria

Abstract

The problems which led to inadequate supply of electricity from Kanji dam, also associated with this are silting of river bed and under utilization, including uncompleted hydropower dams in Nigeria. This research is aimed at carrying out a study on the designs of non-conventional for power generation in Nigerian. The objectives of the study were to: replace the regular fossil based fuels with the most efficient option among solar, hydropower, biomass, biomass gasifiers, wind turbine, tidal and flywheel water energy storage for industrial revolution, small & medium enterprises, towns & rural communities. The method involves administration of questionnaires to EEDC staff (x) and communities (y) living along the rivers of Niger and Benue in Nigeria. The data obtained from the six geopolitical regions within the Nigerian river basins form the fundamentals of the design. The results show that 25 number of the Flywheel water turbine converged optimally as the most efficient option which yielded the highest yearly return/revenue of $75Trillion. In conclusion, the design considered factors that could significantly influence the performance of the said option such as: flow rate, depth, velocity, and seasonal river variations. The design also considered the worst conditions with the average depth of 2m-40m turbine of Kaplan system with an efficiency of 90%, diameter of 2.8m, speed of 3000rpm, angular velocity of 78.54rad/s², torque 92.363Nm and a weight of 1200kg with an average head of 10m, 9m and 9m at Lokoja, Onitsha and Makurdi produced a power output of 20975MW, 12850MW and 6900MW respectively equals to 40725MW of power greater than the national grid capacity of 11165.4MW and NERC had expected of 40000MW. The work recommended Flywheel water turbines of Kaplan models which shall require international collaborations with abundant supply of electricity and technological advancement that shall also lead to reduction in prices of costly food items for sustainable better living standard.